Vijayawada: A minor girl was locked up, and gang-raped by six men over the span of a week in Ongole district, Andhra Pradesh, according to a police complaint.

The 16-year-old had run away from her home after a fight with her mother. She was offered help by a stranger who along with five others allegedly gang-raped her over the period of a week, before abandoning her at a bus station.

Of the six accused, three are minors and have been booked under IPC sections 343 (wrongful confinement), 376(D) (gangrape) and section 6 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act 2012.

The victim is a resident of Nellapadu in Guntur district. According to reports, she befriended a man named Ramu, whom she met during her father's treatment at a hospital in Vijayawada. The two regularly spoke over the phone and became close. The girl's mother scolded the girl and objected to her friendship with Ramu.

Angered by this, the girl ran away from home to meet Ramu on June 16 but couldn't find him. Upon noticing the distressed girl, a man offered to help her and directed her to a location, to where she was accompanied by a differently abled person.

In the hope of meeting Ramu, she agreed to go along with the differently abled man. However, the man took her to a room, locked her up and started harassing her. Five others also joined him and allegedly sexually abused her over a period of a week.

They warned her not to tell anyone about their act before abandoning her near a bus stop. The victim also revealed her ordeal to police personnel at a nearby check post. Police then registered a complaint against the six accused.

All accused have been arrested and further investigation is on.